Self-tape audition at home: a solo-copy checklist

For a self-tape audition at home, begin with the casting brief, prepare the required material and make a short picture-and-sound test before the full take. Review the final file against the instructions before submitting it.

This checklist uses solo copy: one speaker delivering a passage. If your scene has another character’s lines, arrange the reader the scene and casting instructions require.

Turn the casting brief into a recording checklist

Pull the requirements into one place before setting up. Record the requested material, framing, slate or introduction, number of takes, file format, naming instructions, submission method and deadline.

Use the actual brief as your authority. General advice cannot tell you whether this casting team wants a particular eyeline, permits prompting or expects a separate slate.

Here is a fictional brief for practice, not a real casting notice:

Record the supplied solo speech in landscape, framed from the chest up. Address a friend just beside the lens. Supply one take. Record a separate introduction with your name. Save the speech as an MP4 named Firstname_Lastname_GardenClub.

Turn that into five checks: landscape picture, requested frame, eyeline beside the lens, one speech take and a separate introduction. Add the file name to your export notes before recording.

Confirm whether you need a reader

Solo copy gives you a passage to deliver on your own. A dialogue scene includes another person’s cues, responses and timing.

Spotlight’s guidance recommends arranging a friend or fellow actor to read the other lines when needed. Follow the brief for the material you have. Spotlight’s self-tape guide.

A recording of your own script is a rehearsal aid. It does not supply a responsive scene partner. If a reader is required, solve that part of the preparation before attempting the submitted take.

Set the frame, then check it from your position

Place the camera securely and compose the shot requested in the brief. Stand or sit where you will perform, including any movement the passage needs.

Check that your face remains clear and your expression is visible. Spotlight advises a camera near eye level, light from in front and reduced background noise. Avoid placing a bright window directly behind you. Spotlight’s setup guidance.

Record a short sample from that position. Listen for every word, including the quieter end of a sentence. Check for interruptions or room noise before committing to a longer take.

For an iPhone self-tape, the same review applies: assess the saved recording from the actual setup. The phone model alone does not tell you how your room, framing or microphone position will sound.

Rehearse the speech before the camera take

Use this original solo copy with the fictional brief:

I joined the garden club to grow tomatoes. So far, I’ve grown attached to a chair. But last week I planted something, and nobody has told me to start again. I’m counting that as progress.

Decide what the speaker wants their friend to understand. Read the passage aloud, check the words and choose where the thought changes.

You can use an own-voice guide while preparing solo material if that helps you rehearse. Decide separately what belongs in the submitted audition. Check any earpiece or prompting requirements rather than assuming a rehearsal method is permitted during the take.

Review the whole recording

Watch and listen from the first frame to the last. Check the requested framing, wording and performance, then inspect the beginning and ending for accidental cuts.

If you used a guide during an allowed test, listen for unwanted guide audio in the recording. A voice that was only meant for your headphones should not be assumed absent from the saved file.

Choose any retake around a specific issue. For the practice passage, you might have lost the end of “progress”, drifted out of frame or rushed past the change of thought. Write down that issue and address it in the next attempt.

Check the file you will submit

Review the exported file, even if the recording preview looked correct. Confirm that it opens, has audible speech and contains the selected take.

Compare it with your brief checklist:

• Is the requested material present, with the introduction arranged correctly?
• Does the file use the specified format and name?
• Have you included the requested number of takes?
• Is the submission destination correct?
• Can the recipient access the file using the method they requested?

Keep enough time to resolve a file or upload problem. For the fictional exercise, the final check is a playable MP4 with the GardenClub name and a separate introduction.

For solo-copy preparation with a recorded guide, see Ear Prompter for actors. Let the casting brief decide what goes into the audition you send.

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